


Love in the Time of Tartarus

by SeireiLeafy



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Established Sexual Relationship, Fluff, Love Confession, M/M, Romance, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:40:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29257611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeireiLeafy/pseuds/SeireiLeafy
Summary: A sleepy confession to an oblivious prince.
Relationships: Hypnos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 86





	Love in the Time of Tartarus

Zagreus sat down gently on the edge of his bed, leg propped up on the mattress, and leant over to brush his hand down Hypnos’ face. The god stirred slightly in his sleep, before his eyes cracked open to look at Zagreus, a small smile gracing his face.

Zagreus returned the smile.

“Leaving, I assume?”

There wasn’t any malice or venom in his tone at all, the same soft smile still on his lips.

“I am.”

Hypnos hums and closes his eyes again, right hand coming up to caress Zagreus left where he was still stroking a thumb across the gods face.

“I say this with love in my heart, I hope you don’t make it. If only to come back to bed.”

Zagreus chuckles. “If this is to be our last goodbye, I’ll be glad for its lack of bittersweetness.”

Zagreus leans down and presses a kiss to the gods cheek. “I hope you’ll come visit when I reach past the gates of the Temple of Styx.”

“Hades himself couldn’t keep me from following, my dear Zagreus.”

Zagreus moved to pull his hand away, which was quickly grabbed by Hypnos. The god pulled the hand to his mouth and pressed a soft kiss to the palm of Zagreus’ hand. When Zagreus looked back to the Hypnos, the god’s eyes were opened once again. Zagreus felt a tingle prickle up his arm, the hairs standing on end. Zagreus quirked an eyebrow.

“What’s this, now?”

A grin spread across his face.

“A parting gift, dear. Love is not easy to come by in the pits of Tartarus. I’ll see you next you climb out of the pool.”

Zagreus pulled away from Hypnos, as the god closed his eyes again and let his hand fall limp on the bed. Replacing the crown on his head, he walked through the gate to the training room, giving a curt nod to Skelly as he made his way to the window once again on the well tread trail to his next attempt at freedom.

It was only when Zagreus had placed a foot on the sill and had braced his hands against the frame to hoist himself out that he processed what it was that Hypnos had said.

_Love is not easy to come by in the pits of Tartarus._

_Love._

Zagreus took pause.

Had Hypnos just said he loved him?

. . . .

It didn’t take long for Zagreus to meet his end for what felt like thousandth time, not even making it to the gates to Asphodel before being struck down by Megaera, taunting she was as always. But more so this time, seeming to pick up on Zagreus’ distracted and wandering mind, and quickly striking him down within a minute of commencing the battle.

Zagreus hoisted himself out of the pool, shaking his arms to fling off the excess blood that clung to his skin. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Opening his eyes, he looked forward to the end of the hall, the being that occupied his mind missing from his usual post at the entrance to his fathers ‘Throne Room’. Zagreus let out the breath, both relieved and apprehensive that Hypnos was not where he was expected to be.

The prince hoped that he had just not been gone for too long, and Hypnos was still off duty, away, as his father thought, in his own chambers, catching up on some well needed sleep. Zagreus knew that if Hypnos was not at his post, he was more than likely still in the princes own bed, just where he had left him. Zagreus smirked to himself as he walked down the hall, his father would have a fit to rival Cerberus if he found out that Sleep Incarnate was warming his sons bed at night. Though he loathed to thing of what punishment may befall the impish god should he ever.

He rounded the corner to proceed towards his chambers, not acknowledging his father as he sat behind his desk. A haughty huff came from behind him as he passed, grumbling following soon after, though Zagreus cared not to decipher the mumbled words.

As he passed Nyx, he offered her a polite smile, raising his hand to his heart and tipping his head forward in respect. The goddess raised her chin in response.

“My child, may I have a word.”

Zagreus stopped in front of his door, as the goddess turned to him. “Of course, Lady Nyx.”

There was pause as the goddess looked at him, and he kept her eye as she seemed to look into his brain. After a few moments, she turned her head slightly to the right, eyes glancing in that direction as if she could see what was behind her. Her look clearly indicating towards his father. She looked back at him.

“I do hope you know what you are doing, child. Hypnos, though cherished by many here, would not meet a kind end should anything go awry.”

Zagreus took a deep breath, glancing over Nyx’s should at his father. He clenched his jaw, anger at the thought welling in his chest. Looking back at Nyx, he spoke. “Nothing of the sort is going to befall him, of that I can assure you.”

Nyx nodded once. “Be careful, Zagreus. Not only of your father, but of Hypnos. Odd as he is, he deserves not to suffer any pain, physical or spiritual.”

The prince felt his heart thud in his chest heavily at that. Did Nyx know? Did the goddess somehow figure out that Hypnos’ had developed deeper feelings for him?

He nodded. “Yes, Lady Nyx.”

. . . .

When Zagreus re-entered his chambers, he felt relief bloom in his chest at Hypnos’ form that still graced his bed. Zagreus walked towards the bed, quietly, so as to not wake the sleeping god.

He stood beside his bed, watching the god take steady relaxed breaths in his sleep, before carefully stripping himself of his clothes, barring his undergarments, and slipping under the sheets behind him.

Shuffling easily towards Hypnos, Zagreus pressed himself up against the others back, slipping an arm around his waist and pressing his nose into his hair. He felt the other take a deep breath in, a content noise escaping him.

“Hello again, Hypnos.”

Hypnos hummed, pressing back into Zagreus and tilting his head back as to bare his neck. Zagreus took the offering for what it was, and smoothly leant his head down to press his lips to the newly accessible skin. “Back so soon, my prince. Who’d have thought, hmm?”

Zagreus opened his mouth to drag his teeth across the blue tinged skin of the god in reprimand of the sarcastic comment, and Hypnos giggled breathily at the motion. The prince returned to his gentle kisses.

“No matter, either way. It’s lovely as always to have you come home.”

Zagreus trailed his lips up Hypnos’ neck, pressing one last chaste kiss behind his ear and tightening his hold on the others waist minutely.

“Lovely for once to have something to come home to.”

There was a pause, and Zagreus waited with baited breath on the others response. He knew he was beckoning the other into what was most likely going to be quite the serious conversation, and it filled his gut with apprehension.

Finally, mercifully, the god spoke.

“Surely the prince doesn’t mean little ol’ me?” Hypnos voice was light, but Zagreus knew that to be a façade.

“Hypnos… I was pondering on something you said earlier, about love being hard to come by. Am I to take that to have special meaning for us?”

Hypnos shifted in Zagreus’s arms, turning so that he was facing him, hand coming up to rest on his chest. The gods ever tired eyes met the princes own. “They only mean as much as you wish them to.”

“Then I wish for them to mean everything.”

Hypnos mouth split into a grin, his eyes near sparkling.

“Such poetry, maybe we should capitalise on that talent.”

Zagreus grinned back at the god, letting out a short laugh. “Hush, imp, and kiss me.”

**Author's Note:**

> can't express the disappointment of finding out Hypnos was not romanceable, so have this fluffy expression of love born from disappointment.


End file.
